Both Feet In The Fire
by WriteNThink89
Summary: Rosa Blake is approached with a contract to make a certain turian disappear. Tempted by the challenge and the money, she accepts, not fully comprehending the mess she's getting into. She has hard enough choices to make without struggling with a difficult captive and her own heart. AU where the Reapers and Protheans are gone. POSTPONED DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST.


**Well this is my very first Mass Effect fanfic, so I'd appreciate any and all reviews and advicew you can give me. I apologize for the shortness of the first chapter, but this is to see if anyone's interested in reading it. Forgive the future dificulties in making canon characters sound like they're supposed to.**

**Mass Effect doesn't belong to me. Bioware owns everything but my origional characters. **

**Enjoy!**

CHORA'S DEN: CITADEL WARDS

"Are you Rosa Blake?"

Blinking away the self-induced stupor surrounding her, Rosa studied the turian at the other end of the table with curiosity. With Chora's Den's lights set at such dim levels, she couldn't be sure as to what he truly looked like. That was all right. The very nature of her work revolved around anonymity. She let an arm fall from behind her head and sat a little straighter. Beneath the safety of the table, her hand stroked the familiar handle of her pistol.

"I said, are you Rosa Blake?" The turian repeated, an irritated growl adding to the natural buzz in his voice. His dark shilouette was stiff and poised. If he didn't get what he wanted, he was prepared to leave. There was a slight tilt to his hips, like he was accustomed to wearing a weapon. One hand twitched near the sagging side, further proof that he usually carried a gun.

"Maybe," Rosa sighed, tossing her wild red hair behind her shoulders. She kept her booted feet on the table. Couldn't show her interest until the turian made the offer. "Depends on why you want to do business with a Blake. The family name isn't exactly popular in certain circles."

Cautiously, the turian sat across from her, not even putting his arms on the table. He was definately uncomfortable, nervous. "Among _some_," he corrected, pitching his voice so it could reach her without rising over the racous music. "However, a friend recently pointed out that the name of Blake can be very...profitable...if I needed to make somebody dissapear."

Rosa snorted, though she did adjust herself to sit up more. Turians respected dominance and authority. The more she slouched, the more she knew the turian would think himself in control. "No one can dissapear, turian. Not even a duct rat can vanish without _somebody_ noticing. Though it's usually a fellow duct rat. In any case, I doubt someone of your stature would want anything to do with a duct rat." She paused, tapping her leg with a finger on her free hand, refusing to lift her other one from her weapon. Her guest could still change his mind, and then she would have a problem. "So again, I ask why you would want to risk doing business with a Blake. I've heard of a few other professional assasins who can do the same things."

"I'm not looking for an assasination," growled the turian, casting a glance over his shoulder. "There is someone who needs to be...occupied for a time until some business I'm conducting can be concluded."

"Another turian," Rosa hazarded. The guarded, guilty notes within the flanging begged her to inquire.

The turian's hiss was startlingly feral, yet he didn't bother to deny it. "A rather high-ranking turian at that. I know you're Rosa Blake and I can assure you that merely trying to capture him will be difficult even for someone with your reputation." He pulled a datapad out of his vest and sent it skittering across the table. Emblazoned on the screen was Rosa's name and basic description. It looked to be a C-Sec file. "You aren't the only one who researches before conducting business."

With her heart pounding in her throat, Rosa lowered her feet, sitting ramrod straight. The datapad blazed like a fire in front of her. She didn't touch it. Excitement and anxiety danced in her mind. Whoever this turian was, he was either skilled enough to hack into C-Sec's network, or was powerfull enough to aquire her files legally. Either way, he wasn't someone to be trifled with. Chewing her lip, Rosa weighed her options. The last week had been so devoid of job offers that she'd been seriously considering leaving the system for somewhere more profitable. That meant more competition, but she'd learned the hard way how to deal with that. High-profile "dissapearances" on the Citadel were very risky even for a veteran, which she wasn't.

"How long would I have to prepare and how long would you want him gone?"

"For this, I'm willing to let you take as long as you need in order for you to get this done smoothly. As for how long he needs to be out of the way, three weeks to a month and a half should suffice."

Rosa fought to maintain her outward cool while her inner self reeled. "Impossible. If I was able to contain him without any fuss, in three weeks he would know my face and report me once I let him go. You must have some powerful incentive to make me even consider accepting this."

The turian's mandibles spread in a smug grin. "If you can pull this off, you'll have all the money you need to retire and never have to work another day in your life. Considering how young you're reported to be, that's a significant ammount of time." He activated an omni-tool and tapped a few keys. The datapad with Rosa's record on it changed to information about a bank account. "Think of this as the first part of the incentive. Compensation for hearing me out..."

"...and insurance against me reporting you to the authorities," Rosa muttered. The thrill of such a challenging and rewarding offer buzzed in her veins. Glancing at the ammount already in the account, she was forced to run a hand over her face in order to hide her shock. Several hundred _thousand_ credits just for "hearing him out?" A part of her that was still the law-abiding school-girl screamed at her to walk away, that she'd be stepping into something bigger than she could handle. For a split second, she was tempted. Why risk her life just to make someone dissapear for less than a month?

That was the extent of her hesitation. In one smooth motion, she used her omni-tool to wipe that datapad clean of information, determination hardening her face. "I take it the information included a means of communication?" At the turian's slow nod, she let her mouth twist in a smirk. "With any sort of luck, the only time we'll need to communicate will be when you want him returned. Don't worry, you'll know I've succeded around a day later on the extra net, it's how I inform every client. Now, who is this problem turian who's so blasted important?"

For a few seconds, the turian didn't say anything, as if he wasn't sure that she was serious. When Rosa didn't take back her word, he stood. She could've sworn she heard a satisfied purr coming from deep within his throat.

"His name is Saren Arterius."


End file.
